When a victim goes to state institutions and officials abuse their authority and fail to fulfill their obligation to protect them, it is considered institutional violence. It is manifested both by acts and omissions that discriminate against, delay, or prevent the victim from exercising their rights.
For many victims, it is easier to recognize this violence when they are physically assaulted; however, when the criminal investigator does not open a file to investigate the facts reported by the victim, but instead resolves the matter by imposing a small fine on the aggressor; or the victim is assaulted by their ex-partner and The instructor does not impose an appropriate precautionary measure on the aggressor. To prevent her from retaliating for having reported it, they also suffer institutional violence.
Another form is evident when police officers force sex workers to have sex with them or to give them money in exchange for not being reported and punished.
Public health institutions also engage in institutional violence. For example, the Institute of Legal Medicine does not conduct a complete and detailed medical examination of the victim to assess the physical and psychological damage resulting from the assault. Similarly, during childbirth, doctors subject mothers to both physical and psychological violence, which is considered obstetric violence. In this regard, the State of Mexico It also recognizes as institutional violence the indifference and discrimination suffered by women.
Who perpetrates institutional violence?
- Police
- Instructors
- Prosecutors
- Judges
- Doctors
- Registrars
- Notaries
- Prison authority
Institutionalized gender-based violence can lead to impunity, criminalization of the victim, and revictimization. It can leave physical, psychological, and emotional scars. Some cases end in suicides due to a lack of trust in state institutions to protect them.